Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Reviews

The Walking Dead Season 2 – Episode 1: All That Remains review

By
The Walking Dead - Season 2 - Episode 1 screenshot 6
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The Walking Dead Season 2 – Episode 1: All That Remains
Score Details
“Although the first episode of The Walking Dead Season 2 is a bit slow to get going, the groundwork is there for another amazing game.”
Pros
  • Tough choices return, and there is no “right answer”
  • The art design remains faithful to the comic style
  • The groundwork is there for another amazing story
Cons
  • The game starts out slow
  • With limited time to introduce a whole new cast, some characters are lost
  • More set up than payoff

“Why you can trust Digital Trends – We have a 20-year history of testing, reviewing, and rating products, services and apps to help you make a sound buying decision. Find out more about how we test and score products.“

Over the last few years I have reviewed hundreds of games and movies. That’s not hyperbole either. I’m not claiming to have reviewed billions of things, but “in the hundreds” is an accurate figure. And of them all, this may be the easiest review I’ve ever had to write.

Recommended Videos

To put this plainly and to save you time, if you enjoyed Season 1 of Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead, you should play Episode 1 of Season 2, All That Remains. Now go forth and have fun. Well, maybe not fun … It is a Walking Dead game after all, and “fun” doesn’t really describe making horrible choices regarding which of the well developed characters you’ve met live and die. But go forth and play it, and be moved. And probably a little depressed.

Related: 
Best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO Max, and more

For those that haven’t played Season 1, thanks for your support in reading a review you have no reason to read, I guess. We awarded it our Game of the Year, and gave it a 10 out of 10. All That Remains continues the story of the first season in a very direct fashion, so you should start there.

The game takes this for granted too, and the pacing is more in line with the continuation of an ongoing story rather than starting a new one. No surprise there, of course, but it does mean you are left to build a new story without the benefit of world building to help patch supplement some of the early relationship building the series thrives on. There are no wide-eyed humans coming to the horrific realization that they were just knocked down a rung on the food chain. Instead, it starts bad and gets worse.

This time around, the story follows the young Clementine. Despite the perspective change, her options really aren’t that different from Lee’s, the protagonist of Season 1. Lee wasn’t much of a fighter, and Clem even less so. In terms of gameplay, the mechanics are the same. Items appear for you to interact with, and your inventory is limited to items you’ll generally save until you use them at very specific moments.

Judging the first part of Season 2 is difficult. That’s always the case with episodic games, but especially so with this one. All That Remains is designed to introduce players to a new set of characters and an entirely new setting. The lack of world building also has a few minor consequences though.

Rather than progressing into Hell with characters as you did in the first game, you stumble across a group that already has its own tragic history. Instead of forming a history with a group, you are left to unravel an existing backstory. As a minor consequence, the story is a slow burn. It introduces several new characters, but only has the time to hint at their motivations. This will probably pay off alter, and Telltale has definitely earned the benefit of the doubt, but for now the first episode isn’t as instantly gripping as its predecessor.

The character of Clem has also been fairly well explored. She still has a lot to offer, and it’s hard not to feel for a semi-traumatized and still innocent girl trapped in Hell. There’s no mystery of who she is though, as there was at the start with Lee, so instead there are a few slow moments as she finds her way into the larger story.

The Walking Dead - Season 2 - Episode 1 screenshot 2
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The game still looks and moves the same. There are still a few moments of where stiff movements and blocky bodies ding the illusion, but the comic art style acts as a balm for that art style. Current Walking Dead comic artist Charlie Adlard would be proud.

Conclusion

Season Two quickly reminds you that everything in the Walking Dead universe is horrible and everybody is going to die, probably in tragic circumstances and as a direct result of your actions. There aren’t many works of fiction that can create characters so compelling that you almost sympathize with their desire to die, but Walking Dead manages to pull it off. And when they do, you’ll feel guilty for it.

Scoring this game is extremely difficult, and will ultimately prove to be futile – even though it is the nature of the industry. The two hour or so Episode 1 is simply an introduction, and it is a good one. All That Remains is a good start, but it feels like what it is – a part of something bigger, and a setup for later payoffs. It isn’t as shocking or original as the episodes in the last game and it starts out slowly, but it may end up being just as good.

Highs

  • Tough choices return, and there is no “right answer”
  • The art design remains faithful to the comic style
  • The groundwork is there for another amazing story

Lows

  • The game starts out slow
  • With limited time to introduce a whole new cast, some characters are lost
  • More set up than payoff

(This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360 and PC via a Steam code provided by the publisher)

Ryan Fleming
Ryan Fleming
Former Gaming/Movies Editor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
Topics

Editors’ Recommendations

All TV locations in Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake stands in front of a movie theater in Alan Wake 2.

Remedy has been one of the biggest studios to push the inclusion of multimedia in gaming. The first Alan Wake featured short TV episodes of a fictional show called Night Springs that players could discover and watch, Control added in real-life footage in various projections, and Quantum Break had fully live-action "cutscenes." Alan Wake 2 adds more TVs to the world in two different forms -- Koskela Brother Commercials and Writer's Journey videos. The former are found with Saga and the latter with Alan, and both have their own trophy/achievement related to finding them all. As a bonus, they are entertaining enough on their own to warrant seeking them out. Don't touch that dial, because we're going to show you where to find every TV in Alan Wake 2.
All Koskela Brother Commercial locations
Starting off with Saga, there are six commercials to find over the course of the game. All you need to do is approach the TV for it to start, and you get credit for them as soon as they begin playing, so you really don't have to watch them through to the end.

Head into the police station before the end of Return 3 and go into the employee lounge. Note: This commercial is missable if you do not get it before the end of Return 3.
This TV is in the Oh Deer Diner up on the left wall.
The TV in the lobby of the Lederwood Palace Lodge can't be missed.
When you reach the Nursery Home, go into the rec room to watch this TV.
The only TV in Coffee World is in the Lighthouse Trailer park inside the first trailer you pass on the left.
The final commercial icomes during the final sequence of Saga's campaign. Once you start Return 8, go back to the Oh Deer Diner for the last one.

Read more
All Word of Power locations in Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake sitting at a desk with a typewriter.

Alan Wake 2 splits its campaign up between the titular writer from the original game and a new character, FBI agent Saga. While the two play mostly the same, each one does have some bespoke elements. Aside from smaller touches like each having their own weapons and inventory, they also have different sets of collectibles to search out. While Saga needs to track down and solve things like Nursery Rhymes and open Cult Stashes, Alan's hidden items, called Words of Power, are more in line with his profession. These are more concepts than actual, physical items to grab, and must be picked up in a unique way. Not only are they worth finding because they unlock a Trophy, but they also will help smooth out the difficulty curve since they serve as upgrades for Alan. Our words may not be as powerful as Alan's, but they can still guide you to every Word of Power location in Alan Wake 2.
How Words of Power work
Words of Power are environmental objects that only Alan can interact with. While exploring his section, you will be able to hunt down these spots on the map and find a spiral of words written somewhere. To "collect" one, you simply need to shine your light on it from the right angle -- your controller will vibrate to let you know you're getting close.

Words of Power are divided into seven types, each of which offers three different upgrade options in different areas. Here's each type and how they can improve Alan's skills.

Read more
All stash locations in Alan Wake 2 and how to open them
Alan drenched in green light in Alan Wake 2.

FBI agent Saga Anderson and her partner, Alex Casey, are called into Bright Falls to investigate a murder committed by a strange group calling themselves the Cult of the Trees. These dangerous cultists are your main enemy in Alan Wake 2, and they put up quite a fight despite mostly using basic tools as weapons. They seem mindless and primitive, but the fact that they have a series of Cultist Stashes hidden all around the world suggests otherwise. These treasure troves are very well hidden, and they're protected with a small puzzle to try and prevent those who may stumble upon one from grabbing all the goodies inside. You'll find yourself short on supplies essentially all the time in Alan Wake 2, so scooping up some extra ammo and batteries is always welcome. Here is where you can find all the Cultist Stashes in Alan Wake 2 and how to open them.
All Cultist Stash locations
There are a total of 21 Cultist Stashes to find and unlock in Alan Wake 2. Each zone has its own set to find, and they all have different puzzles you need to solve to open them. None are missable, but some can't be obtained until you make story progress or get specific tools.
Bright Falls Cult Stashes

The first Cult Stash you can find comes as soon as you reach the town of Bright Falls for the first time. Instead of going straight to your destination down the block, turn around and head toward the dead end. Behind the truck will be a big locked box. To open this one, all you need to do is play a little game of Simon Says. The keypad will flash three buttons in a sequence that you simply need to repeat to open the box and grab the loot.

Read more